Tiller steering-gear for vessels.



I 0 a U 9 .m 0 I t B .W .m u s I... 2 d" mm. .m y N no 3 v w. c. wuugmsma & J. 0;. waumm TILLEB STEERING GEAR FOR VESSELS. (A hmmn filed Ma a 1900 (No Model.)

Patented July "1,1900. son, in. ELS.

2 shee sheei 2,

N0.. 653,60l. W., C. WILLIAMSON &. J. D. WILLIAM TILLER STEERING GEAR FUR VESS (Application filed May 3,1900. (No Model.)

MN, A, ll.

W I I! l. v

ii T YATES 'rENT- 'rrics.

WILLIAM C. WVILLIAMSON AND JOHN D. \VILLIAMSON, JR, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNORS TO THE WVILIIIAMSON BROTHERSCOMPANY,

on SAME PLACE.

TILLER STEERING-GEAR FOR VESSELS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters TPatent No. 653,601, dated uly 10, 1900.

Application filed May 3,1900.

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that we, VVILLIAM O. WIL- LIAMSON and JOHN D. WILLIAMSON, J r., citizens. of the United States, and residents of 5 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Tiller Steering- Gea rs for Vessels, of which the following is a specification.

The object of our invention is to improve to the construction of power tiller steering-gears .tor vessels, and this object we attain by, first, mounting the tiller-shifting engines on a fixed foundation, and, second, providing means for taking up the shock due to the l 5 striking of the waves against the rudder, thus relieving the tiller-operating mechanism from these jars.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of our improved power tiller.

: steering-gear. Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2 2, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 isan enlarged sectional view of one of the bufiers, and Figs. 4 and 5 are views of modifications.

I A is the deck of the vessel.

is'secured in the present instance, as shown clearly in Fig. 2. Carried by the outer end of the tiller is a vertical shaft d, on which is apinion d. The teeth of this pinion engage 3o with'the teeth of a segmental rack E, as shown in Fig. 1. On the shaft (Z is a Worm-wheel (1 with which meshes a worm c on the shaft 0; On 'the opposite end of this shaft-is a bevel-wheel c. The shaft 0 is mounted in bearings ff, secured to the tiller D.

Grv is a vertical driving-shaft in line with the rudder-post B. On this driving-shaft is abevel-pinion g,which meshes with the bevel- .pinioii c of the shaft 0. The driving-shaft 40 G inthe present instance has a crank g.

H II are the engines or motors. in the present instance we have shown steam-engines having connecting-rods h h coupled to the crank of the driving-shaft G. h represents the steam-chests of the engines, and any suitable valve mechanism may be used on the engines. The type of engine may be varied without departing from our invention.

instance, in some cases other motive'power than steam may be employed, as will be readsired.

B is the rudder-post, to which the tiller D- For Serial No. 15,403. (No model.)

The worm-wheel d is connected to the shaft 5 5 D by any suitable coupling (1 of the ordinary form used in this type of steering-gear; but it may be directly connected, if desired.

The segmental rack E has a double flange e, which rests in a T-headed slot 2' in a segmental guideway I, having feet z" in the present instance,-which are secured tothe deck of the vessel. Detachable platesare provided, so that the segment can be removed, if de- Therack is held in acentral position by sprin'g-bufiers K K, one at one end of the rack and the other at the opposite end. ",The rack is free to'move to a limited extent in its guideways when the pressure upon it overcomes the springs of the buifers. Each buffer consists of a casing L, an abutmentblockv J, and springs J In, the present instance two. coiled springs are mounted between the abutment-block and the end of the casing, although one spring may be used, if desired. The abutment-block J is in line with the end of the-segmental rackE, but is not connected to it, so that if the-rack is forced in the direction of the arrow, for instance, Fig. 3, it will compress the springs, and consequently move in itsbearings to a certain extent, depending altogether on the tension of the springs, and it will be moved away from .the biifier'at the opposite-end. If the direction is reversed, it will compress the spring of f the bufier at the opposite end and withdraw from the block J, Fig. 3. As

soon as the pressure is reduced the segment will assume its normal position. Y We preferably provide means for limiting the movement of the block .I and for adjusting the tension of the-springs. In the present'instance the block J has a screw-threaded opening, and extending through this opening is a threaded bolt J having a head j at its rear end. This bolt passes through a hollow screw-threaded bolt M, which-is screwed into I the casing L and has a jam-nut m, 'The bo1t M bears against a collar M. In order to take the strain off the bolt J ,'we prefer to secure roe and thus taking the shock and preventing the severe strains or jars.

the apparatus is as follows: The valves of the breaking of the pinion and the rack and relieving other parts of the mechanism from The operation of the engines are controlled by any suitable operating mechanism. If it is desired to move the tiller in one direction, the shaft G is turned and its motion will be imparted to the shaft 0 through the bevel-gears g and c, which in turn impart motion to the verticalv shaft (1 through the worm and worm-gear. The pinion d on the shaft meshes with the teeth of the rack, causing the tiller D to move in the direction desired. If it is Wished to hold the tiller in the adjusted position, the engines are stopped. If it is wished to reverse the direction of the tiller, the engines are reversed, when the tiller will move in the opposite direction. a

In some instances instead of mounting the buffers at each end of the segmental rack, as shown in Fig. 1, they may be mounted as shown inFig. 4, and the projection on the rear of the rack mayextend between the two spring-abutments, as shown in said figure, or

the abutments may be located at any point desired, the position depending upon the amount of room set apart for the steeringgear.

In Fig. 5 we have shown a modification in which the shaft 0 is geared to a driving-shaft G through an intermediate bevel-wheel g, mounted in line; with the pivot of the tiller.

We claim as our invention 1. The combination in a tiller steeringgear, of a tiller, a pivot therefor,'a segmental rack, a pinionon the tiller engaging with the rack, and a stationary driving-engine, the shaft of said engine being geared to the pins ion, substantially as described.

2. The combination of atiller, apivot therefor,a pinion on said tiller, arack engaged by the pinion, a driving engine or engines on the fixed foundation, the driving-shaft of, the engine being in -line with the tiller pivot, with means for gearing said driving-shaft to the pinion, substantially as described.

It will I 3. The combination of a tille'r, apivot therefor, a segmental rack, a pinion on the tiller engaging with the rack, a driven shaft in line with the pivot, means for driving said shaft, a worm-shaft, bevel-gearing connecting the driven shaft to the worm-shaft, a worm on said worm-shaft, a shaft on which the pinion is secured, and a worm-wheel on said shaft meshing with the worm, substantially as described.

4. The combination of a pivoted tiller, a shaft and a pinion carried by the tiller, asegmental rack with which the pinion engages, a fixed engine having a crank-shaft in line with the pivot of the tiller and gearing by which the said crank-shaft is geared to the pinion-shaft on the tiller, substantially as described.

5. The combination in a tiller steeringgear, of a tiller, a pinion on said tiller, means for driving the pinion, a segmental rack with which the pinion engages, with buffers controlling the lateral movement of the rack, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

(5. The combination of a tiller, a pinion carried by the tiller, means for driving the pinion, a segmental rack with which the pinion engages, guideways for said rack, with springbuflers on each end of the rack but detached therefrom, whereby the rack will yield when under extreme pressure, substantially as described.

7. The combination of a tiller, a pinion carried by the tiller, means for driving the pinion, a rack with which the pinion engages, buffers for'the rack, each buffer having a casing, a bearingblock within the casing, springs between the bearing-block and the casing, and means for limiting the outward movement-of the bearing-block, substantially as described.

8. The combination of a tiller, a pinion on the tiller, arack with which the pinion engages, means for driving the said pinion, a bu [fer for the tiller, said butter havingacasing, a bearing-block, a spring or springs back of the bearing-block, means for adjusting the tension of the springs, and means for adjusting the bearing-block, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM C. WILLIAMSON. JOHN. D. WILLIAMSON, JR.

Witnesses:

V v WILL. A. BARR,

. Jos. H. KLEIN. 

